Sunday 27 March 2011

Quick Response codes give a .... (sort of) Quick response #QRCodes

So the next generation of learning had arrived or maybe something a bit like that....
The idea that you can provide a range of resources and links across a range of platforms with a simple barcode sounds wonderful. The challenge was to integrate it in a meaningful way into the classroom.

First things first, following inspiration from @MarcFaulder on his Enabling Environments Blog I took a load of  TES iboard resources and used the QRStuff website to barcode up the websites. The idea was to use the sheets of QR codes as extension activities to fit in with the topics we were covering in class.

I had even spent time colour coding the tiny barcodes with blue for maths, yellow for science and red for topic learning. I printed these off using the photo printing wizard on windows xp having 9 per page so that there were plenty of codes to scan! I then did a very teachery thing and got busy with the laminate!

Next job was to read the 200 pixel squares so that all the hard work I had put into them could be read and the links could be used by a rowdy bunch of 6 year olds. I installed the dansl QR reader on the laptops that have an integrated webcam and began testing them.

Things I found out.
It is hard to put the QR code in front of the integrated camera.
The red and yellow codes didn't work at all.

Sooooo I reprinted them all in black and set up my easiview at a fixed distance so that the QR codes could be read more easily. This worked much better! The children loved doing it and played the games to support their learning with a new vigour!

The next challenge? To use QR codes in the natural environment to support learning. Can we find a device that will read the codes in situ rather than always taking them back to the classroom to scan? Oh an a nice idea from @ICTAST to use QRcodes inside books which bring up a book review. As long as you can fit the book review into 140 characters that is!
Still 140 characters seems the way forward nowadays!

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Raising Standards the easy way #cLc #Uniservity #LearningPlatform

As part of an East Sussex training day I was asked to set up and carry out a project using the cLc Uniservity Learning Platform to raise standards in Literacy. I chose to focus on riddles as one of the Writing tasks for KS1 NCTs as it was an area that the children had previously not done very well in.
That was all about to change!

Starting point

We had been using the learning platform throughout the school year. The class were all confident in logging in and navigating through the learning platform to find the appropriate page.

Some children had begun utilising the LP at home to communicate using the forum. Children have spent time working on their own homepages, using the text editor and the inbuilt sound recorder. The children have used the text editor to update and make comments on a wiki about the school and its locality as part of the Uniservity online collaboration.


What We Did


A description of how was the LP was used to support learning
To begin with the children were asked to follow a link on a forum post to explore a website which had a number of riddles, some good and some not so good.

This was set as an Easter homework so that children could share the riddles with parents and bring in any others that they may find at home. To allow access to the resource the text was dictated using the inbuilt sound recorder.

The children were encouraged to use the forum to share their favourite riddle from the website and any others that they may have found that they liked.


We had lots of riddles that were very simple 1 or 2 lines.

The children then found some better riddles, that were longer and used a greater variety of connectives and words that the children called 'time starters' (sometimes, usually, always etc.) and used the forums to establish their own success criteria for the writing of riddles.

The children then used these success criteria to write a riddle of their own about food. The food that they had chosen was kept secret from all of the other children. The children then used copy/cut/paste to import their riddle onto the learning platform wiki 'Rocks Park Riddles' 

The children then used the version comment tool to try and guess the answer to the riddle.



This was then followed up with some unaided writing to create a second riddle, utilising the features of a riddle that had been learnt. The improvement in the level of the writing was marked.


Impact Assessment

The children used the learning platform to find and read riddles which they then shared with the class. They enjoyed choosing their favourite and therefore spoke about them with enthusiasm and enjoyment.

The children were immersed within the typical words used during the riddle writing process, from looking at a variety of riddles on the learning platform, and were able to draw on these examples when it came to writing.

Writing for an audience, we know, is key when developing good writing. The children were enthusiastic at the opportunity of publishing their own work and in turn wanted to make those adventurous word choices and creating exciting writing.

The children witnessed a range of riddles on the learning platform, whether their own or from other websites. They then produced a range of riddles drawing on the presentational features they had experienced.

The children always respond positively towards the learning platform and this is evident in the work they have produced and the ongoing nature of their comments on each  others riddles.

The Championship Decider #wii #MarioKart #GBL

So week 1 was over and week 2 had begun, the championship was tight with 'Go Ferrari Go' topping the leaderboard but there was still another week to go and there were plenty of championship points up for grabs. Oh and we might do some learning too..


Click here to see a video the pupils made themselves about their learning using a digital camera and Windows Movie Maker. (Will open up your Media Player to stream)

Monday 21 March 2011

Learning with a #MarioKart Championship #GBL

So last week I wrote all about the use of the Wii in the classroom and the concept of Games Based Learning. The theory is all here so lets cut to the chase... Here's what we did!

To begin with I rearranged my classroom. We moved from 5 larger tables to 7 smaller tables so the largest group now had 5 children in and the smaller groups had 4. The groups were all mixed ability and were chosen quite carefully so that everyone would be supported and extended where necessary.

I split the day into sessions and everything was linked to the Championship. In terms of timing I wasn't too sure how they would react so there was 12 sessions to fit into the week of learning. With Friday afternoon being given over to Golden Time and Circle Time (my PPA).

Session 1
English AF3 Adapt speech to role
English AF2 Appropriate style of writing
English AF1 Relevant word choices.
Children are introduced to the four characters that are in their team.
Children to construct a team member and attribute a specific skill set to either a mechanic, a driver, a navigator or a team boss. Children to think of effective names.

Session 2
Art & Design. To appreciate the impacts of colours on simple designs
Art & Design. Select & use simple ICT tools.
Children create individual designs for their team logo, incorporating a team name and appropriate logo. Children to think about the impact of their 3 colour design.
Children choose one design from team of 4 and create the design using 2Paint.

Session 3
Mathematics To gather relevant information.
Mathematics To display information in tables
Children practice using a ruler to join number bonds with a straight line.
Children to construct, using rulers, a suitable table to display information from the MarioKart Time trials. Children to decide as a team how big/small their table cells should be. Ensure good use of ruler.

Session 4
Timetrial - to try out different vehicles on the tracks.
Children complete time trial worksheet, suggesting the reason for choosing specific vehicle (Must be good on racing track) Also children record in a tally the vehicles and characters chosen for Data Handling Session 6.

Session 5
Design & Technology - To carry out research appropriate to the task.
Design Technology – Choose appropriate materials for axles
Children to use books and the internet to research vehicles that are appropriate for a given terrain and suggest reasons for the specific design features of this vehicle.
i.e. A 4x4 vehicle is suitable for a muddy track because of its ground clearance, large wheels with large tread, short front and back for hills. Whereas a F1 vehicle would not be suitable for this terrain.
Children to experiment with making fixed and free axles using a variety of materials. Children to explore types of axles on common toy vehicles.

Session 6
Mathematics – To construct bar charts and pictograms
Mathematics – Communicate ideas using a block graph
Establish features of bar chart with children, continue thinking about using a ruler effectively. Ensure 2 axes, gaps between bars, regular intervals for data, axes labels, main title.
Children use data collected in previous session to create 2 bar graphs. One for the characters chosen and one for the vehicles chosen. Characters graph to be guided and vehicle graph independent.

Session 7
English – AF6 Identify the main purpose of a text
English – AF7 Recognise the features of the context of texts.
English – AF2 Recall specific information when responding to texts.
Children to read and investigate a newspaper report on the British Grand Prix.
Identify the 5 w’s in the text (Who, What, Where, When & Why) and begin thinking about the key features of a newspaper report. Begin to set success criteria for newspaper reports.

Session 8
Mathematics – Extract and interpret information from a graph
Children to answer a series of questions relating to the graphs constructed in session 6.
Children to complete entry form and race in the warm up race – ensure that all children have now taken part in the races.

Session 9
English – AF3 Extend experience and ideas, adapting speech to roles.
English – AF2 Listens to speaker and makes comments and suggestions
*Critical Incident* Children are advised that there has been some alleged cheating in previous race. Children to look at evidence pack and establish 3 questions to ask hot seated adults. Chair-person of the inquiry, mechanic and driver to answer questions from children regarding the events.

Session 10
English – AF7 Makes adventurous word choices
English – AF2 Adopts the appropriate style of writing
English – AF1 Display relevant and apt word choices for the style of writing.
English – AF3 Sequences ideas and material
Children to write a newspaper report based on the incidents of session 9. Ensure that children follow a sequence and develop understanding of using the 5W’s when writing reports.

Session 11
Championship race 1. Children to complete form, collecting information about names of drivers and type of vehicle chosen for specific track.
Children to race against each other and teams are awarded points for their position.
Children to complete post race interview sheets, drivers comment on effectiveness and mechanics on vehicle choice. Team bosses write about the teams involved and final positions. Navigator to sum up the race in terms of how close it was, the major events etc.

Session 12
English – AF7 Makes adventurous word choices
English – AF2 Adopts the appropriate style of writing
English – AF1 Display relevant and apt word choices for the style of writing.
English – AF3 Sequences ideas and material
Guided writing: As a group children use post race interview notes to create a report on the race.

This was week one of a two week trial. The children were amazed by the amount of work that they were producing, not only that they had produced work that was of an excellent quality.

Week 2 coming soon....

Thursday 17 March 2011

This little piggy went wiiiiiiiiiiiiiii #wii #gbl

It was this time last year that I got a flyer for the East Sussex ICT Conference 2010 and saw that @Ewan Mcintosh  was keynote speaker. Being the nosey so and so that I am I put his name into google. The phrase inspired comes to mind.

Yesterdays blog post was all about using 2DIY and games to support and assess children's understanding of other subjects  but the idea of using games to inspire children in their learning and using it at the heart of a topic or learning journey had never even crossed my mind – (rightly or wrongly)!

Games Based Learning (GBL) was a phrase that was new to me, we have all used games to aid our teaching and indeed to cement learning within the classroom and at home. I personally felt that these ‘games’ were always as an add-on to the work we were doing, perhaps as an extension activity or as a starter to capture imagination and stimulate learning.

One game had never been the core for a week or indeed a whole terms work (well certainly not in my teaching or any of the schools I have been in). The notion of GBL is that the multi-million pound games industry provides inspiration to children to enable their learning in an environment which is familiar to them.
Quite simply the game becomes the core of a topic of work.

Gillian Penny from Gavinburn Primary School describes this process with two games, both using the Nintendo Wii. (http://newlearning.blip.tv/file/3437105/)

I will add resources and information about the way I did this tomorrow but fair enough to say that it has made a big impact on learning in my classroom and I have been asked to present at the East Sussex ICT Conference 2011. Looking forward to having a bit more inspiration from @TimRylands

2 Do It Ones Self #2Simple #2DIY

We have been for a while now a user of all things 2Simple. The way that the interface is the same across the entire range allows the children to make some good applications without too much skill input.

Last year I attended a local technical meeting where our rather friendly and skilled local 2Simple rep came along and showed off for the first time a new and exciting program called 2DIY.

With the Games Based Learning juggernaut rolling on, we quickly snapped up the nifty piece of software and rolled it out onto the machines. Now don't get me wrong, it is a little clunky and has its limitations (generally to do with the intricate detail that the children want to add!) but does it enable the children to continue to be motivated and excited about their learning? Well the answer must be yes!

The 6 & 7 year olds in my class love using this piece of software to become games designers. It fits in beautifully with pretty much any topic. A favourite is the dropping game where the little blocks of just about anything can drop down and the little dude at the bottom has to catch them or avoid them.


The objective here was for the children to understand the difference between mains powered and battery powered appliances.

The mains powered appliances (because they're more dangerous) take a point away. The battery powered appliance (because they're less dangerous) give you a point.

So I am using ICT to assess science knowledge and understanding. Click here to play it!

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Back to the old Skooool (init)

I was recently tasked with setting up a virtual tour for the school website. Having looked around and not found anything very exciting except for the odd photostory. I had a good old think about what I could use.

The solution? Good old .ppt!

Did it take an age to hyperlink the whole thing together? You betcha!
Was it a right pain in the rear to collect together all the images? Deffo.

Does it look (so far) pretty good? I think so... Used iSpring and then chucked it up on the cLc Uniservity Learning Platform.

Then today watched a video on YouTube of Tim Rylands doing his thing at GBL2010 and through the Myst ether I found Microsoft Photo Synth. Looks a bit gorgeous.

Watch this space!

So I'm Blogging

So, here it is. My first foray into the world of blogs. I will be adding all the things that I am doing, ICT related rather than what I have eaten for dinner. I'll save that for my nearest and dearest!
Please humour me a little as I get into this, I'm sure it won't take long 'til I am uploading regularly as life doesn't seem to sit still for too long!